Hoping to hatch a million little start-ups, Craig Walker -- co-founder of what is today known as Google Voice -- is launching a tech incubator. Last year, he left Google proper to serve as an entrepreneur in residence at Google Ventures. Back then, Walker's goal was to start a new company, according to TechCrunch, adding: "Now, he tells me, he wants to start lots of them." Firespotter Labs, as the incubator is named, has already taken an initial $3 million round of funding from Google Ventures -- enough to keep four to six companies up and running, according to Walker. …

Where does Groupon's value lie? Felix Salmon takes over 2,000 words in Reuters to lay out his answer, which comes down to a combination of "network effect" -- "the more people Groupon signs up, the more targeted its deals can be" -- and "social" currency. Salmon, in other words, doesn't agree with Groupon doubters, like TPG's David Bonderman, who believe that the company's business model is worthless because it has virtually no barriers to entry. That doesn't give Groupon enough credit, says Salmon. For one, "Before Groupon came along, there was no effective way for merchants to reach …

To recommend new content and highlight its full potential among users, Twitter has created an official account called @TwitterSuggests. Twitter has actually offered links to recommended members for months in its sidebar, but this new method accomplishes a number of things, according to ReadWriteWeb. "It sends new users what might be their first @reply so they can see how the system works, and it is another attempt to get people to act on follow suggestions." Of course, retention of new users is Twitter's biggest problem and ReadWriteWeb believes this experiment could help solve the biggest challenges new users …

Search Engine Land's Danny Sullivan is wondering whether Facebook has successfully positioned itself as "the master key to unlocking the Web," or, put another way, if the social network "has won the battle to be the one true log-in." In other words, Facebook is making it possible so that users' accounts can open an ever-increasing number of non-Facebook doors. For one, Facebook Like buttons are now ubiquitous online. The new Facebook Comments system, which rolled out in March, is being adopted by an increasing number of publishers. What's more, the new Facebook Send button makes it easy for …

In light of its delayed IPO, Skype is reportedly being courted by both Facebook and Google. One source tells Reuters that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has engaged in internal discussions about buying Skype, while another source said Facebook has reached out to the Luxembourg-based company about forming a joint venture. "Google has also held early talks for a joint venture with Skype, the second source said," Reuters reports. "The discussions are in early stages, and it is not clear which option the companies favor." Such a deal could be worth $3 billion to $4 billion, according to Reuters …

Hinting at Google's long-term strategy, the company has quietly replaced its search product group with what it's calling a "knowledge group."   Sources tell TechCrunch that Google's recently reappointed CEO Larry Page is thinking about search in broader terms. Page's "goal is about more than organizing [the worlds'] information," writes TechCrunch. "It's also about enhancing people's understanding and facilitating the creation of knowledge." "Google's no longer in the 'search' business -- it's now in the 'knowledge' business," Search Engine Land proclaims, before adding: "OK, not exactly." "Apparently, Google is no longer content to organize …

Year-over-year, revenue from the four top app stores run by Apple, Google, Nokia and RIM will rise 77% to $3.8 billion in 2011, according to a new report from the analysts at IHS Screen Digest. On the news, mocoNews writes: "Developers that are bemoaning the dominance of free apps in app stores like the Android Market: do not despair, there's money yet in apps." Even more remarkable, in 2008 -- when research firms first began tracking app sales -- revenues amounted to just $206 million. The researchers forecast that apps will bring in revenues of $5.6 billion in …

Not a complete stranger to TV advertising, Google has returned to the tube to promote its Chrome browser. One spot highlights Dan Savage and his "It Gets Better" campaign, while another features a father chronicling his daughter's early years. Yet, "It's not clear at all to me how these ads promote Chrome as opposed to Google services in general," writes MediaMemo's Peter Kafka. "Or the Internet in general, for that matter." In Google's defense, both ads feature Chrome's logo prominently, and subtly illustrate how the browser can complement a user's online activities. Kafka, however, also asks whether it makes sense …

To say that Facebook is suffering an employee exodus is hyperbole, but the company has recently lost some talent in VP of technical architecture Jonathan Heiliger; director of business development Jim Midgal; and top software engineer Marcel Laverdet. Regarding the changes, Business Insider writes: "This is not the first time Facebook has undergone a fairly large employee exodus" -- BI's words, not ours. "Back in 2008 and 2009, Facebook went through significant turnover as new COO Sheryl Sandberg joined the company from Google and re-organized (or...organized) what had been a fast-growing but disjointed startup," BI writes. Facebook even reportedly had …

Spotify users can now sync the songs in their playlists with the iPod Classic, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle, the top European music service said this week. Translation? "Spotify is getting serious about taking on Apple," concludes CNet. According to the company, users will only need to plug their iPods into their computers, and they will see the player pop up in the Spotify app's "Devices" section. From there, they can sync all the MP3s in their playlists in a single step. Potentially spelling competition for Apple's iTunes, Spotify users who want to use its free plan and want to …